Leeds United snapped up winger Daniel James on transfer deadline day – and he has now been backed for a big future at Elland Road by Rob Page.
The Whites probably weren’t expecting to do all that much business leading up to the transfer deadline, but that all changed with Cristiano Ronaldo’s future.
Ronaldo headed to Manchester United, and that suddenly made Daniel James available – a player Leeds have wanted for many years.
James was famously on the verge of a move to Leeds in January 2019, but Swansea City failed to sign off on the deal despite the winger being at Elland Road to finalise his move.
Manchester United moved in to sign James, but after two years at Old Trafford, Leeds have finally got their man.
The wide man will be in line to make his debut against Liverpool this weekend, though he will have to compete with Jack Harrison and Raphinha on the flanks.
With blistering pace, James could make a real impact at Leeds, but he will need to improve his end product if he is to really fulfil his potential.
James is currently with the Welsh national team, and interim boss Page has now told The Mirror that he thinks James will improve in terms of his conditioning and fitness just by working under Marcelo Bielsa.
Page added that James can become ‘the complete player’ as a result of working under Bielsa, which can only be good news for both Leeds and Wales moving forward.
“When you go to a team like Leeds, with a manager like Bielsa, who demands high intensity you know that if you can get DJ extremely fit, to the point where he can sustain it for 90 minutes – doing it on a Wednesday and then on a Saturday, you’re only going to benefit from it,” said Page.
“To have someone of DJ’s ability available and fit and getting him to the 80th minute and not have to worry about substituting him because he has that resilience and fitness to be able to sustain that, then we will get the complete player,” he added.
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